Mortise latch fob



UNTTED STATES PATENT OEE-ICE. i

LEONARD FOSTER, OE BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

:Mo-REISE LATCH EoR DooRs.

i Specification of Letters I atent No. 811, dated June 2'?, 17838,

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Beit known that I, LEONARD FOSTER, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Invisible Mortise Latch and Door Fastening Adapted to- Doors of Houses and to Doors in General; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof.

This latch is to be entirely inclosed within a mortise, made fo-r the purpose, in the edge of the rail of the door, within which it is to be wholly contained, not Projecting out beyond the Said edge. The catch also is t-o be contained entirely within the rabbet of the door frame, into which it is to be inserted by driving its shank into the frame in a hole Inadefor the purpose in the direction of the plane of the door when closed; by which means it is rendered incapable of being drawn out by any force exerted by,v or against, the door. The latch is to be raised by the aid o-f knobs upon a` spindle, said spindle passing through a square hole in the back end of the latch. I sometimes also attach a small lock to the latch, the boltI of which is made to catch when projectechbelow the catch of the latch, and to prevent its being raised. N

In the accompanying drawing I have represented the latch and its appendages of the full size necessary for general use in ordinary doors; this of course, will be variedV for 'doors for coaches, or other purposes.

A, Figure 1, is the latch represented by dotted lines, and B is apart of a door rail `Inortised to receive it; G, representing the shank and the knob, by which the latch is to be operated. Theouter end of the latch is to be flush with the edge of the door, int-o which anotch D is to be made to receive the catch. Fig. 2, represents the catch which to fall; the intention of this is to adapt the catch equally to doors opening either right or left; it may,` however, be Ymade with the inclination on one side only. Fig. 3, shows in section, the knobs, spindle, and latch in place. Fig. 4, shows the latch with a Vsmall `,lock attached to its under side, by mea-ns of which it, may be efectually secured, and made to answer the purposes of a lock, as well as of a. latch, a. verysmall key only being necessary to render it thus secure.

The bolt F, is secured to the latch by a. thin plate of metal, a, one side ofwhich is removed vto show the bolt, and this bolt when shot forward, embraces the catch, Gr occupying the opening formed by a. notch in the latch. The key hole may be made through both sides of the door, or on one side only, as may be preferred. 1

When the lock is not used, a `pin may be insertedrso as to cat-ch upon the top of the latch, and hold it down, securing it from being openedon the outside. To cause the latch to work easily and correctly, thin, plates of metal are driven into the edge of the door, on each side of the mortise, against which the fore end of the latch plays.

What I claim as my invention, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is-` 1. The manner above described of inserting a latch, consistingof a. simple plate of metal, with a mortise Vmade in the rail of l the door; said latch being flush, at its fore end, withthe said rail; and being received by a catch driven into the door frame, in the direction of the plane of the door when closed, the whole constructed and operating y LEONARD FOSTER i 1Witnesses: C. H. WILTBERGER, y LINTON THORN. 

